United Methodist News Daily DigestPlease click on the date below to view the Daily Digest for that day.

UNITED METHODIST NEWS​

Ask The UMCHow are decisions made at General Conference?NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At General Conference, delegates gather from all over the world to consider revisions to church law and the official ritual of the church and to adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, explains how the legislative body makes decisions.Read storyRead more Ask The UMC​

Why I’m not leaving The United Methodist ChurchBy the Rev. Steve WestFeb. 17, 2020 | ARAB, Ala​A few weeks ago, hundreds of North Alabama Methodists who consider themselves traditional, orthodox, and conservative met at Clearbranch UMC to talk about splitting from The United Methodist Church.

I have had good interactions with the pastors who organized the meeting. They are my colleagues. They are part of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, an organization of 1,500 churches nationwide and about 60 clergy here in North Alabama planning to launch a new denomination a few months from now, once the General Conference in May allows for their gracious exit.

I respect their convictions. But I won’t be joining them. Here’s why. Read story​

Diverse leaders’ group offers separation planNASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — A diverse, 16-member team of church leaders, including bishops and advocacy group leaders, has offered a proposal that would preserve The United Methodist Church while allowing traditionalist-minded congregations to form a new denomination. Proposal backers say it could end the denomination’s impasse over homosexuality. Sam Hodges reports. Read story

Iowa ConferenceNew DS focuses on building relationshipsDES MOINES, Iowa — The new district superintendent for the Southeast District sees himself as a missional strategist and pastor of pastors. The Rev. Doug Cue is focused on relationship-building as he starts the job.Read story

District Office TransitionsNovember 08, 2019​Friends in Christ,

I give thanks to God for your faithful and effective ministries led by the Holy Spirit for the sake of Jesus Christ. You continue to find ways each day to share the love of God in Jesus Christ with your neighbors here and around the world encouraging growth in discipleship.

By December 30th of this year, the physical office spaces that have been used for district superintendents and district administrative assistants will be closed. This transition is taking place to lower administrative costs that require Apportionment funding.

District Superintendents and District Administrative Assistants will continue to have their regular phone number andRead Story​

BREAKING NEWS...Nov 02, 2019Church exit plan already in effect, court saysEVANSTON, Ill. (UM News) — Legislation setting special provisions for United Methodist churches that want to leave the denomination took effect last February, the church’s top court has ruled. The Judicial Council also issued no opinion on the “constitutionality, meaning, application or effect” of certain petitions of the Traditional Plan, adopted at the same special General Conference. And the court deferred until its next session a request on the question of improper voting related to the disaffiliation legislation. Linda Bloom reports. Read story​

Welcome Pastor Carolyn and David!

She was born in 1963 in Grinnell, Iowa. Her Dad, Bob Bowers, is a United Methodist pastor (retired) and when she was three, her family moved to Seward, Alaska. Two years later they moved to Kenai, Alaska, then two years later to Anchorage, where she primarily lived until she left Alaska in 1993 to attend seminary. She has two brothers (one older, one younger) and a younger sister. Her oldest brother, Steven, is living with his family in Mitchellville, where their dad was raised. Her sister, Christine, lives with her family in Ketchikan, Alaska, and her younger brother lives with his wife in Portland, Oregon.

After graduating from Garrett-Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, Pastor Carolyn served as a pastor at Faith United Methodist Church in Troutdale, Oregon (14 miles east of Portland) from 1997-2001. She and her husband David then moved to Idaho where she served the United Methodist churches of Middleton and Wilder, 25 miles west of Boise, for six years. They then moved back to Oregon, where she served the United Methodist churches of Rainier and Clatskanie, 50 miles north and west of Portland near the coast for six years. They then moved to back to Idaho where she served Jason Lee Memorial United Methodist Church in Blackfoot (250 miles east of Boise) for three years.Pastor Carolyn has been married to David Buss for 22 years. They have no children, but are currently the proud “parents” of three cats. In 2013 they made the decision to move to Iowa to be closer to David’s mother who lives in Elysian, Minnesota (near Waterville and Mankato).

Pastor Carolyn has been serving Trinity United Methodist Church in Waverly, Iowa for three years before being called to serve here at Oakland. The SPRC Team met with Pastor Carolyn and will be making plans for their move and transition to our community at the end of June or first of July. We are looking forward to meeting Pastor Carolyn and David and welcoming them to our Church and community.​

Planning new directions for the churchLEAWOOD, Kan. (UM News) — More than 600 United Methodists from across the U.S. spent three days grappling with possible options for forging what they hope will be a more inclusive future in Methodism. What united the UMCNext group, which met behind closed doors, was a rejection of the Traditional Plan adopted by the special General Conference. Heather Hahn reports.Read story​

North Georgia ConferenceFaith sustained MLB umpire during job crisisATLANTA — Major League Baseball umpire Paul Nauert endured a job crisis in 1999 when he was fired during a labor dispute, but his involvement with a United Methodist church gave him the perspective to use the time off to focus on his family. Now he is thriving personally and professionally. Rebecca Wallace has the story.Read story

Iowa ConferenceChurch helps 93-year-old recover after floodHAMBURG, Iowa — The pastor and members of Hamburg and Shenandoah United Methodist churches are helping 93-year-old Virginia Lynn rebuild her life after flooding destroyed most of her possessions. The Rev. Luke Fillmore had been Lynn’s pastor for just seven months before the tragedy struck.Read storyWatch video

Flood victims savor 'God moments'​

No “poor, poor pitiful me” or “what am I going to do now?” complaints have reached the ears of the disaster response coordinator for the Great Plains Conference, despite Nebraska suffering widespread flooding.

“You know, small town USA rallies around each other,” said the Rev. Hollie Tapley. “They’re helping one another. They’re taking care of one another.” Read Story​

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE IOWAUNITED METHODIST CONFERENCE ON GC2019

The General Conference of The United Methodist Church met in St. Louis from Feb 23-26. The 864 delegates (half lay; half clergy) from all over the world acted on the report of Commission on a Way Forward, which focused on the issue of human sexuality, with related petitions.

General Conference is the highest legislative body in The United Methodist Church and the only group that can decide church law and speak officially for the global denomination.

From among the proposals, the delegates approved the Traditional Plan by a vote of 438 to 384.

In summary, the Traditional Plan:

keeps the current Book of Discipline language about homosexuality

increases accountability by streamlining the processes to enforce penalties for violations of the Book of Discipline related to marriage and ordination of homosexual persons

would go in effect January 1, 2020

​Some parts of the Traditional Plan were ruled unconstitutional by the denomination’s Judicial Council (supreme court), which will conduct a further review at its April meeting.Read story